# Salt treatment for pipes...



## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Well guys I just wanted to post up what I've been up to with my pipes. I've heard people talking about the salt treatment and I did some youtube video watching and decided to give it a shot. I used some course grain kosher salt with everclear 151. I did just like they showed in the video's and let them sit for 24 hours. 

Today was the first time smoking two of my Nordings after doing the treatment and all I will say is if you haven't done it yet you need to!! It really came out very well!! There wasn't any remote taste of bitterness at all. I WILL be doing this to the rest of my pipes now. I was really amazed at the difference of flavor and aroma that came out of them.


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

I use cotton balls instead of salt.
Less messy. (it's the alcohol 
that does the work.)


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

I almost started a new thread, but this seems as good a place as any to ask, since we're on the subject:

I've got a Dr Grabow Big Pipe that I bought new a couple of months ago. I haven't smoked it all that much...maybe a dozen bowls?. It started tasting funky so I decided to do the salt treatment. I used regular table salt and 190 proof everclear. I filled the bowl and the shank with salt and dripped the everclear in. After a day, the salt got a nasty brown hard crust on top, but still white underneath. And it was dry. I figured it wouldn't hurt to do it again, so I cleaned all the salt out, started with new salt, dripped the everclear....same result, hard brown crust. I've done it FOUR times now and am still getting brown salt. Is this normal? Should I keep doing it until the salt stays relatively clean? Thinking out loud as I type this, I guess I can just clean the salt out and rest it a couple of days and smoke it and see how it tastes, but I'm still curious of others' experiences. It seems strange to me, especially considering that it's a new pipe and hasn't been smoked very much.


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> I almost started a new thread, but this seems as good a place as any to ask, since we're on the subject:
> 
> I've got a Dr Grabow Big Pipe that I bought new a couple of months ago. I haven't smoked it all that much...maybe a dozen bowls?. It started tasting funky so I decided to do the salt treatment. I used regular table salt and 190 proof everclear. I filled the bowl and the shank with salt and dripped the everclear in. After a day, the salt got a nasty brown hard crust on top, but still white underneath. And it was dry. I figured it wouldn't hurt to do it again, so I cleaned all the salt out, started with new salt, dripped the everclear....same result, hard brown crust. I've done it FOUR times now and am still getting brown salt. Is this normal? Should I keep doing it until the salt stays relatively clean? Thinking out loud as I type this, I guess I can just clean the salt out and rest it a couple of days and smoke it and see how it tastes, but I'm still curious of others' experiences. It seems strange to me, especially considering that it's a new pipe and hasn't been smoked very much.


Dr. Grabows are "presmoked" so most likely what is happening is the alcohol is dissolving any cake that was on the bowl. I would think if you keep going the bowl will eventually be bare wood. I would think that just the one treatment would be enough.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Nick S. said:


> Dr. Grabows are "presmoked" so most likely what is happening is the alcohol is dissolving any cake that was on the bowl. I would think if you keep going the bowl will eventually be bare wood. I would think that just the one treatment would be enough.


That's a good point. I didn't think about that. It didn't have cake per se, but it did have a black carbon coating in the bowl. I'll dump what's in there now and let it rest a few days and smoke it and see how it tastes. Thanks for the tip!


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> That's a good point. I didn't think about that. It didn't have cake per se, but it did have a black carbon coating in the bowl. I'll dump what's in there now and let it rest a few days and smoke it and see how it tastes. Thanks for the tip!


I don't know if this is the case anymore but from what I understand, they used to actually be "presmoked" on a machine... I know I have seen a picture of it somewhere... just can't find it now...


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## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

Yeah I don't believe Grabows are still pre-smoked.
I have never done the salt treatment I use cotton balls, but from what I've heard you can't use regular table salt as you mentioned. Something about the character of kosher salt that it works better then table salt, or so I am lead to believe.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Andrew, I don't know about the salt, I've seen it advised both ways ("only use kosher or sea salt!" vs "use whatever cheap salt is in your pantry, it doesn't matter"), but I've not seen an explanation as to why kosher/sea salt is better, so I just used normal table salt and it seemed to work fine.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

gahdzila said:


> Andrew, I don't know about the salt, I've seen it advised both ways ("only use kosher or sea salt!" vs "use whatever cheap salt is in your pantry, it doesn't matter"), but I've not seen an explanation as to why kosher/sea salt is better, so I just used normal table salt and it seemed to work fine.


IMHO the "rock" salt has larger chunks and therefore is less likely to go pouring out through the airhole (or fall out if shaken). The alcohol, as stated, is what does the magic. Icky stuff is dissolved into it, then wicked up by the salt crystals (or cotton balls, although I wonder about lint sticking to cake?).

Personally, I have never done either salt or cottonball treatments. I simply soak a Q-tip (end) in vodka (unflavored), and poke it into the airhole as far as it can go. Leave for a while and icky things get soaked up. For really narrow bores, I soak the end of a fluffy pipe cleaner and stick it in there for a while. But then again, I'm pretty OCD about cleaning during and after each smoke with pcs, so my pipes never really get rancid.

No matter how you do it, be careful not to drip anything on the OUTSIDE of the bowl, most alcohol will strip the "finish" off a briar on contact.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

RJpuffs said:


> IMHO the "rock" salt has larger chunks and therefore is less likely to go pouring out through the airhole (or fall out if shaken).


I assumed that that was the reason.

Regular table salt worked fine for me. I got a small bowl of uncooked rice and put the pipe in it to prop it at an angle so the salt wouldn't run out of the bowl or the shank.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I agree that the salt/cotton's function is to wick away the alcohol -- or even the water left after the alcohol evaporates, given that even 151 proof is 25% water. In *The Pipe*, the author, Georges Herment recommends simply filling the bowl part way with booze of some sort and blowing through the stem to make it gurgle and dissolve stuff away. (He also warns about getting any on the finish and says to put a piece of cloth over the top when you do it.) Dump it, run some pipe cleaners through it, let it dry and you're done. I've never done this, but I can't see how it would be a terrible thing to try -- especially since he's an authority on pipes of the first rank. Actually, I might just give this a go on the 4Dot, my PA workhorse -- along with a little cosmetic reaming with the Brebbia nail before I start. (If I don't do something soon, I'm going to be putting tobacco in there one ribbon at a time and be limited to a golf tee for a tamper. )


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## chu2 (Jun 8, 2009)

Nick S. said:


> I don't know if this is the case anymore but from what I understand, they used to actually be "presmoked" on a machine... I know I have seen a picture of it somewhere... just can't find it now...


Here you are:


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## chu2 (Jun 8, 2009)

Also, I'm thinking that, in theory, one could put a load of salt in a coffee filter and then stuff that in the pipe. Easy cleanup, no lint, and it should work the same as having the salt in direct contact with the cake.


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

If you *must *use table salt, *at least* be sure it ain't *iodized*.

BTW, the salt is just a medium to hold the alcohol against the walls of the bowl.
It's the alcohol that does the work, not the salt itself.


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

chu2 said:


> Here you are:


That's it, Thanks Matt. Man I bet that is one great smelling factory...


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Nick S. said:


> That's it, Thanks Matt. Man I bet that is one great smelling factory...


So, do you think they used Ennerdale or Prince Albert? :spy:


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

freestoke said:


> So, do you think they used Ennerdale or Prince Albert? :spy:


Whatever it was I am sure it was something inexpensive and harmless (flavor wise)... So my vote would be for PA


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

I like that the select grain is only $5. Jeez. Wish I was old enough to remember buying pipes for <$10


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

karatekyle said:


> Wish I was old enough to remember buying pipes for <$10


Take from me -- you don't. :crutch:


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

freestoke said:


> Take from me -- you don't. :crutch:


ound:


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